


Surprise, Surprise

by mozukki



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-09-27 09:42:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10000145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mozukki/pseuds/mozukki
Summary: two chapters written for theYuri!!! on Ice's valentine exchange!Ch 1: here we have asecretlypinning Otabek and a naïve Yuri going through university shenanigans together from baking cookies together at 4am to stopping your friend from a coffee overdose. Through this, Yuri finds Otabek cool, very cool but he's still a big mystery and Yuri has fun learning about this new friend of his.Ch 2: Yuuri and Victor are newly-weds and they go through marriage shenanigans from trying to figure out what the weird noises in the closet is all about to Yuuri putting up with Victor's wild imaginations. Despite all the eye-roll and sighs, they honestly wouldn't have it any other way.





	1. naïvety

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sempiternalbreakdawn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sempiternalbreakdawn/gifts).



> this is for the tumblr event  Yuri!!! on Ice's valentine exchange! it's supposed to be a vday week but im incredibly late, so sorry. this was a change in my usual writing so it was pretty difficult to write. i ended up really enjoyed writing it bc here i am, now an otayuri shipper LOL! it also didn't help that kubo sensei revealed that otabek's a DJ and that just threw me off because we barely have otayuri content and now he's a DJ and hangs out with mischievous friends?? what??? **who dafuq is otabek**
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from Yuri!!! On Ice by Sayo Yamamoto and Mitsuro Kubo. I do not claim any ownership over them and this story is for pure entertainment.

It’s 3am and Yuri is certain there’s a ghost behind the bookshelf. There are rumors about this library being haunted because it dates back to the Victorian era but almost everything that goes that far back is rumored to be “haunted” for publicity sake. At least, it’s the best excuse Yuri can come up with to calm his nerves because he has a midterm in two days and he should be more scared of that, not ghosts.

“Ghost don’t exist, ghosts don’t exist, ghosts don’t exist,” Yuri mumbles under his breath like a mantra to get a better grip on his sanity while cramming philosophy notes into his tired mind.

There’s a cold grip on his shoulder and Yuri bites back a scream because this is the library after all. So he settles on throwing a death glare to the one who has a death wish.

“Can I help you?” Yuri says through gritted teeth, a frown prominent on his lips. He’s staring at a guy with headphones hanging around his neck. He looks older but Yuri knows better than to judge from appearance, especially after knowing Yuuri who looks like some lost high school sophomore.

“Sorry,” the older guy mutters in a low voice, “I ordered pizza but I can’t finish the whole box and you’re the only one here so…Do you want to share?”

Yuri gives him a dumb-founded look because he didn’t even know he can have pizza delivered to the library—it would have saved him so much time. The guy’s still staring, waiting for an answer and Yuri eventually nods because it’s free food.

“By the way, I’m Otabek.” Otabek extends his hand and Yuri is confused and almost forgets that people still do handshakes these days.

Yuri shakes his hand and notices that they’re considerably bigger and firm, a contrast from his smaller one.

“Yuri.”

 

***

 

Yuri isn’t sure if Otabek and him frequent the same area but now that he can put a name to his face, he sees Otabek everywhere. It starts with him catching Otabek leaving a classroom just as Yuri’s entering it then realizing that Otabek’s a regular at the coffee shop that Yuri’s also a regular at and now they’re in the same wing of the library—again.

If Otabek wasn’t in the coffee shop or the library first then Yuri would assume Otabek’s a stalker. But since Otabek’s here first then does that make Yuri look like a stalker? He’s not, it’s a coincidence but he has to admit that it sure is a lot of coincidences.

Otabek looks up from his laptop and Yuri and him exchange nods of acknowledgement. He walks over to his table with a coffee in hand. It’ll be weird if Yuri sits at another table, alone, because he’s sending a message that he’d rather be by himself than sit with Otabek which is a crude message to send. It’s not like Yuri minds sitting with Otabek, he knows to give him peace and quiet when he has to study, unlike Victor and his motor mouth.

“Hey,” Yuri greets.

“Good timing,” Otabek says and shuts off his laptop. “Can you watch my stuff while I nap?”

Yuri chuckles. He’s been promoted from random stranger who he shares pizza with to trusted guardian of his laptop.

Otabek can be cute with his spontaneity. It’s almost like he was waiting for someone to come so he can nap with a peace of mind. He makes it easy to warm up to him so Yuri is comfortable talking with him. He’s free to be himself and Otabek doesn’t judge, he just nods and gives him thumbs-up.

“Sure but you have to show me how to use the library search engine first. Essay due in two weeks and I don’t know how to use the library website.”

There should be a workshop on how to use the school database because he’s paying thousands of dollars for it but he can’t even find a decent journal article for his essay. _It’s ridiculous._

Luckily Otabek’s a knowledgeable third year student so he can help Yuri and his first-year naivety.

“Alright.” Otabek turns on his laptop and teaches Yuri the wonders of quotations and asterisks and keywords. Yuri sits with dreamy eyes, in total awe at Otabek.

 

***

 

“I think you need an intervention,” Otabek remarks, taking the seat across from Yuri at the coffee shop. They’re cozy enough for him to just waltz in and invite himself to the table. Yuri pretends not to notice Otabek eyeing the cup of coffee in his hand.

“What?”

“Every time I see you, you’re holding a cup of coffee,” Otabek deadpans.

“Well, we are in a coffee shop. Plus, you don’t even see me that often,” Yuri argues, taking a sip from the said coffee cup.

On a good week, Yuri sees him thrice a week—one of them is guaranteed to be another one of their wacky coincidences, which is happening right now. So Yuri reasons that having coffee three times a week isn’t a bad thing.

“Is it something gross like last time? What was it? Caramelized honey latte?” Otabek teases and Yuri almost chokes on his coffee. Caramelized honey lattes don’t deserve this kind of treatment, least not from Otabek who considered mixing his coffee with red bull which, in his opinion, is absolutely vile.

“No, it’s a vanilla latte,” Yuri replies matter-of-factly.

Otabek rolls his eyes and smirks. “I’m surprised you didn’t add raspberry or strawberry syrup to it.”

“Shut up.”

 

***

 

Yuri’s phone vibrates at 4am and he ignores it. But it vibrates again and again and again. The annoying, blinking light irritates him and he swears if it’s Victor crying about how snakes don’t have arms again then he’s moving out of the house. He stops his mental rant mid-way, seeing Otabek’s name on the screen with a simple but absurd message.

“Do you have flour?”

Yuri rolls his eyes and texts back: Otabek, it’s 4am. Wtf.

There’s an instant buzz and Yuri wants to pretend this conversation isn’t happening, least not in the middle of the night.

I’m hungry.

So Yuri is bussing his arse across campus at 4am to deliver flour to Otabek so he can bake cookies in the commoner’s kitchen in his ridiculous blue bear pajamas.

 

***

 

“Do you know where Alpha Chi is?” Otabek randomly asks during lunch and Yuri is surprised he knows the fraternity, “The fraternity house.”

“Yeah, it’s north of the subway station,” Yuri replies, taking a bite from his sandwich. “Why?”

“I agreed with my friends to go to their party this weekend.” Otabek doesn’t look like it but Yuri can tell he’s troubled.

Yuri arches an eyebrow in surprise. “I didn’t take you as someone who parties.”

“I’m not. I have horror stories from first year,” Otabek clarifies with a grimace. “Sara is just very persistent.”

“Don’t worry, Alpha Chi isn’t the stereotypical frat house you see on tv. There’s no one peeing on the sidewalk and it doesn’t smell like marijuana.” Yuri remarks with a grin.

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m a part of that fraternity.”

Yuri loves dropping the fraternity bomb on people because of their reactions. Yuri never dreamed of belonging to some fraternity, especially not with the bad reputation they get but it’s honestly not that bad. Especially if he can get good responses like Otabek’s with the gawking look and eyes looking like they’re going to fall out of his sockets.

 

***

 

Yuri is helping Yuuri set up fake palm trees for the party tonight. Victor gets so extra when it comes to them but Yuri can’t deny that Victor throws a good party. Everyone is always surprised to hear that Yuri is a part of a fraternity but to him, he knew he was going to pledge Alpha Chi. He never felt quite as comfortable in his dorms in the first semester as he did in the frat house. It helps that he knows almost everyone here from hopeless Georgi to dramatic Victor to clumsy Yuuri.

“So you have friends coming tonight?” Yuuri asks while pouring sand on the floor to live up to the dumb tropical theme. Georgi thought it would be funny to assign Yuuri as Yuri’s Big because then they would have a Big Yuuri and a Little Yuri. For that, Yuri rubbed salt onto Georgi’s wound from his last break-up. Though, Yuri can’t think of Yuuri as a mentor, not after seeing how wasted he got at a party last year. Victor brought Yuri out to celebrate his final year of high school and that was when they first met Yuuri. Yuri was surprised to see Yuuri stripping and challenging him to a dance-off but the pole dance with Chris got him doing a double take on this weirdo—it immediately gave Yuri an imminent fear for the quiet ones. It was quite a first impression for both Yuri and Victor but Victor’s all over that so go figure.

“Yeah. They know Mila too,” Yuri replies. Mila belongs to the sister sorority and she invited her best friend, Sara, who’s friends with Otabek. Everyone at the house already knows Sara because she’s frequently at their parties but Yuri didn’t expect her to know Otabek. It’s a small world in such a big campus.

“That’s a first,” Yuuri comments, a bit too happy for Yuri’s liking. It’s not that Yuri doesn’t have friends, he does hang out with them from time to time but they weren’t exactly the party time. Well, Otabek isn’t either but Yuri is still trying to figure him out. His first question being how he managed to get along with Sara because she’s a bit too preppy for Yuri’s liking.

Their conversation is cut short because of the sound of an obnoxious car honk—of course it’s Victor and he’s telling them to get outside to help him carry more props inside.

“Are those potted palm trees?” Yuuri asks in disbelief and Yuri gives him an unamused look, wondering if he should really answer the question.

Victor drives a hot pink convertible for heaven’s sake.

 

***

 

Surprisingly—or more accurately, to Yuri’s surprise, Otabek makes a flashy arrival. In comes Emil greeting everyone with a holler, Otabek giving out nods and high-fives, Sara and Mickey giving slaps on the back to the people who come up to greet them. Yuri is impressed to see Otabek fitting in so well with the raucous, flamboyant atmosphere. In under five minutes, they all have a lei around their neck.

Otabek catches Yuri’s gaze and makes his way over with a beer in hand, much to Yuri’s relief. He needs to escape from the group that’s surrounding him. He doesn’t know how the crowd appeared but he makes use of it to mingle with the guests, network and advertise their next philanthropic event, a figure skating competition, the idea courtesy of Phichit.

Yuri slips away when Otabek is closer. Otabek gestures at the crowd and remarks in a blithe voice, “I didn’t think you’d be the center of attention.”

“I am a part of the frat throwing the party so that’s expected,” Yuri replies with a shrug. He isn’t good at talking yet but it’s something Yuuri wants him to develop so he’s been subtly giving him opportunities.

“I was asking for you but got led to Victor and the other Yuuri instead. They called you Yurio?” Otabek has a grin on his face and Yuri scowls.

“It’s a dumb nickname to differentiate between Yuuri and I,” Yuri explains with a darker glower. He’s not fond of the name himself but it’s tattooed in everyone’s mind now so he can’t do anything.

“It’s okay, I’ll call you Yuri so lighten up,” Otabek says, flicking his forehead. Yuri unexpectedly grins, at least someone will call him by his name.

Suddenly there’s a strong arm around Yuri and he stumbles from the weight. Yuri turns to see annoying JJ. He’s from the other fraternity house two streets over so Yuri sees him too often at their respective house’s social events. Yuri sees JJ’s other arm around Otabek and ponders over it a bit. He didn’t know they know each other.

“Hey Yura, Otabek. I didn’t know you two are friends?” JJ questions with his posh, conceited voice. Yuri gets out of his hold and crinkles his nose at the overwhelming smell of alcohol coming from JJ.

“We haven’t known each other for long but he’s a good friend,” Otabek answers, smiling at Yuri.

“Awesome show last weekend, Otabek. I didn’t know you work at the club either,” JJ pats him on the back and this catches Yuri’s attention because Otabek works at a club? He has a show? This is new information and most definitely a revelation.

“I perform once in a while, it’s nothing serious,” Otabek remarks modestly but if JJ is acknowledging it then it _is_ something.

JJ’s eyes wander behind them and Yuri hopes it’s his girlfriend. “I gotta go, I see Bella.”

Yuri nods. “Tell her I said hi.”

“Will do.” JJ gives him a chummy slap on the back before leaving.

Otabek has another smirk on his face and Yuri is confused again. “What?”

“So Yura?”

Yuri rolls his eyes. “It seems everyone calls me by everything but my name.”

Even Yurio was better than Yura. JJ likes to tease Yuri because of his dainty physique but he’s not a bad guy, just super irritating so Yuri can’t get away for cussing him out.

“But Otabek, you per—”

“Yurio, this is your friend?”

Yuri curses under his breath. _Why is it so hard to talk to Otabek without someone interrupting them._

“Yeah Katsudon, it is.” There’s a hiccup and Yuri turns to them. It’s an unpleasant sight with Victor’s arms around Yuuri. He’s half-naked, smiling like an idiot and obviously drunk. Victor is so embarrassing and Yuri questions Yuuri’s choice.

“Hi hi!” Victor greets, nuzzling the side of Yuuri’s face.

Otabek chuckles. “What happened here?”

“Chris and him were entertaining the guest with strip beer pong,” Yuuri says while shaking his head. The explanation is enough for Yuri to groan. Victor is already hasty but add in Chris, his awful enabler of a friend, and they spiral into utter madness—this being a perfect example of their stupidity.

“He’s supposed to make a speech about the figure skating competition tonight,” Yuri points out and Yuuri rolls his eyes.

“Looks like we have to go with the flow,” Yuuri says.

“Hey, you’re the DJ at the club,” Victor exclaims, pointing at Otabek and grinning.

Yuuri slaps his hand down and reprimands, “Victor, keep your voice down and don’t point. He’s standing in front of you.”

“It’s fine.” Otabek chuckles again. Yuri’s the only one with the gaping face because Otabek DJs? Aren’t they supposed to be well-versed and social? Yuri can’t imagine Otabek breathing life into a party like Victor can. Sure, Otabek can get animate when talking but Yuri doesn’t think he has that much charisma to move a crowd.

_And how come Victor knows him?_

Before Yuri can grill Otabek about his DJ persona, the unspeakable happens. Victor’s stupidity takes the wheel and there’s vomit on the floor and more importantly, on _Otabek’s shoes_. Time stops as Yuri and Yuuri stare at each other, wide-eyed in bewilderment.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” Yuuri stammers, panicking. He’s helping Victor stand up while invisible hands give him tissues. There’s a boisterous “clean up in aisle five” from JJ and Yuri’s jaw is _still_ hanging because Victor did not just puke on Otabek’s shoes.

_Oh my god, Victor._

In a matter of time, Otabek’s in Victor’s private washroom rinsing his feet. Yuri walks into Victor’s room, throwing the plastic bag with Otabek’s shoes on Victor’s bed because it’s his mess to clean up when he wakes up.

“How is he?” Yuuri asks, entering the room with a warm cloth for Victor. He’s sleeping soundly now after causing a ruckus and Yuri is too busy being grateful for him sleeping than to actually be angry.

“Who? The dead or the tortured?”

“Otabek.” Yuuri laughs.

“He’s fine, of course but his shoes…” Yuri gestures at the bag and Yuuri’s face morphs into a look of disgust.

“I’ll go clean it after.”

“Good luck.”

Otabek steps out in Victor’s shoes. “Thanks for the towel. I left it on the laundry basket.”

“Don’t be thanking us,” Yuri rejoinders.

There’s a loud bang echoing from downstairs and Yuri wonders if something broke. He hope some drunkard just tripped on a chair but judging from how knocked out Victor is, they have a rowdy crew tonight.

“Yuri, you should head downstairs to control the crowd.”

“Remember to come back down though,” Yuri teases as Yuuri’s face flush scarlet. He can’t have them both disappear for the night or else the house will be trashed. Then they’re stuck taking out the trash.

“I’m going to stay with Victor for a bit so I don’t know when I’ll be down there.” Yuuri gives Victor a soft, gentle look while moving hair from his big forehead and Yuri looks away from the private moment.

Yuri’s stomach sinks because he’s helped plan parties before but being responsible for one is another story. Most of the guests don’t even know him, let alone _respect_ him.

_How can he control a crowd this big?_

“What if there’s trouble?” Yuri asks. If Victor is like this then Chris must be out too. Yuuri’s with Victor. Georgi is probably busy chatting someone up in the backyard to notice the chaos inside.

“You’ll be able to handle it,” Yuuri encourages. The look Yuri gives him says no. “There’s Phichit and Minami downstairs but I can’t say if they’re sober.”

Yuri nods, feeling a little overwhelmed at the sudden weight that comes with being in charge. He knows Phichit is somewhere with good lighting and Minami can be heard from anywhere if Yuri concentrates so there’s some comfort in that but still, Yuri worries.

Otabek gives him a pat on the shoulder and nods towards the door. Yuri flinches, forgetting that someone else is in the room. The look of comfort on Otabek’s face is enough to instill some confidence in him. Yuri looks back at Yuuri who gives him a nod.

They both walk out in silence and when the door shuts, Otabek speaks up, “Nothing will happen. Everyone respects Victor so they won’t break anything, least not intentionally.”

“I hope so.”

“You’ll do fine, I know you will.”

It doesn’t sound like much but it does loads in lifting the heavy feeling off of Yuri’s shoulders. Otabek is the small motivational voice in Yuri’s head, encouraging him and Yuri is so glad he’s here tonight.

 

***

 

Yuri wakes up grumpy because it’s 2am and he shouldn’t be up at 2am. He’s awake because of a phone call and he should really consider silencing his phone before going to bed because this can’t keep happening. It takes a few slaps to find his phone on the bedside table and it’s from Otabek. If it’s another one of his baking ambitions then Yuri’s going to block his number every night.

“Hello?”

“Hi, your friend is drunk and called a taxi but I can’t get an address off him. You’re the last person he called,” the man states and Yuri sits up abruptly, not sure what to do in this situation.

“Alright, umm…you can send him here,” Yuri replies. It sounds more like a question than a statement because he doesn’t function well at 2am.

Yuri’s out waiting on the porch, hugging himself to stay warm with a wad of scrunched-up bills in his hand. He rolls his eyes because _now Otabek’s the dead one._

At least he doesn’t have to maneuver across campus to deliver flour or almond powder again.

A taxi pulls up and Yuri exchanges the bills for Otabek. Yuri tips the taxi driver heavily because he doesn’t deserve this torment at 2am. Yuri doesn’t either but he’s Otabek’s friend so he has to deal with it.

“Otabek, you alive?” Yuri asks, slapping his face in hopes that it’ll bring him to consciousness. Otabek grumbles something inaudible and Yuri takes that as a no.

Otabek is heavier than he looks and he’s surprisingly toned—something he doesn’t expect because Otabek’s always wearing a jacket. So getting him up the stairs and into Yuri’s room is already difficult but he has to be quiet about it to avoid the relentless interrogation.

Yuri sets him on the bed and rolls out the yoga mat and a blanket for him on the floor. Sitting on the yoga mat, he turns to Otabek to stare and ponder. It’s dark but Yuri can see that he looks completely different today. He always dresses casual but it’s always a relax kind of casual like he just threw on a t-shirt and jeans and hoped that they coordinated well together.

Today, his casual looks planned, his outfit carefully put together through much thought. Yuri is envious of his black leather pants with the multiple zippers but he can pass on the gray sweater with a lightning bolt and jean vest.

Otabek’s practically an enigma to Yuri and he wants to ask him some questions to learn more about him because who the fuck is Otabek? The guy who orders a pizza spontaneously and ropes strangers into sharing it with him? The guy who has deep proses at night and Yuri stays up listening to him as if he’s high on some kind of drug. The guy who’s attentive but stops Yuri mid-sentence to question if tiger urine really smells like buttered popcorn—yes, it does. He’s a cool guy and they talk a lot but he’s also a big mystery that Yuri has yet to uncover. For instance, DJ Otabek? He still doesn’t have an answer to that but Yuri can’t do anything at 2am so he tucks Otabek into the makeshift bed on the floor.

Yuri wakes up and has the living daylight scared out of him. There’s Otabek sitting on his desk with his earphones on, drumming his fingers along the surface.

Yuri sits up and the rustling sound causes Otabek to turn around, taking his earphones out and greet, “Morning.”

“What are you doing?” Yuri asks.

“I didn’t want to leave your room in case your housemates saw me but I didn’t want to snoop around, so I’m just…” Otabek trails off, his eyes darting around the room and laughs, “Doing nothing really.”

“So you don’t party, eh?” Yuri teases and Otabek smiles.

“I really don’t, I DJ,” Otabek states, as if it’s any different. To Yuri, it really isn’t. He’s still in a dark, noisy place with too many intoxicated people. It’s still a party and Otabek is hyping it up even more.

“But,” Otabek emphasizes, “I wasn’t working yesterday. I was celebrating a friend’s birthday and they brought out the tray of shots.”

“Oh God,” Yuri retorts. He can imagine the idiocy that ensued.

“Yeah, right? I even DJ-ed for a bit while half-drunk.” Otabek shakes his head in ridicule. “But I like DJing so that’s not too bad.”

“Do you need medicine for the hang-over? Do you even have one?” Yuri questions, narrowing his eyes. Otabek looks too calm to be hung-over which really says something about Mr. I Don’t Like to Party.

“I’m fine. Thanks for last night. I don’t know how I got here but I can imagine the trouble.” Otabek takes out his wallet and gives him a few bills.

Yuri stuffs the money in his own wallet and shrugs. “Don’t worry about it. You helped me man the party last time so it’s no big deal.”

“You think taking care of a drunk friend is no big deal? I should list you as my emergency contact then,” Otabek jokes and Yuri glares at him. _Otabek is starting to get too cocky._

“I take that back,” Yuri says through gritted teeth and Otabek laughs. “If you feel guilty then take me to one of your shows.” Yuri wants to know more about Otabek, specifically DJ Otabek.

“Are you free a week from today?”

Yuri blushes and nods. It sounds like a date but it’s not, especially since Otabek sounds so indifferent asking him so it’s definitely not a date. He’s just hanging out with Otabek.

 

***

 

Yuri goes to the club a week from that day. He initially planned to go alone but somehow Victor found out through a word of mouth from someone else. He swears not to reveal their identity for the sake of their wellbeing so Yuri gives up trying to figure out who it is. So Victor’s automatically tagging along and Yuuri joins because it’s his job as a Big to look out for his Little. Yuri thinks they’re being busybodies but it’s not like he can stop them from coming.

Yuri’s eyes flicker around the table and he’s amazed at how one small invite from Otabek ends up turning into a big group hang-out. Phichit heard that Yuuri was going so he invited himself and managed to drag Seunggil, Leo and Guanghong along. Though the real question is how Phitchit got Seunggil to come because he’s always a no-show no matter how persistent Victor is.

The sound of a loud record scratching catches their attention and all eyes are on the DJ booth. Yuri hears the crowd cheering before he actually spots Otabek through the sea of people. With a pair of heavy headphones around his neck and the crowd getting rowdier and rowdier, Otabek looks completely comfortable, as if he belongs here and nowhere else. This suave, DJ side of Otabek is something new and Yuri takes delight in it.

“He’s got the entire room wrapped around his fingers,” Seunggil remarks in a bit of awe, in only a small bit though.

Otabek’s eyes are surveying the audience and he plays around with the tracks until he gets a better feel of what they want. Yuri watches him bob his head to the music, completely immersed in it and Yuri almost wants to rush onto the floor as well. He wants the surge of colossal energy to take over, to control him as he loses himself to the music, to the atmosphere that Otabek creates.

A waiter comes with two buckets of beer and drops it on their table. Everyone stares at Victor because they didn’t order anything yet so he’s the prime suspect but he raises his hands in defense.

“It wasn’t me!” Victor exclaims but everyone still has their eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“I said no puking on shoes today,” Yuri teases and Victor’s face darkens—a sight Yuri takes great pleasure in.

“It’s courtesy of DJ O-beks,” the waiter grins and stalks off to the next order.

Yuri smiles at the ridiculous name. _O-beks._ He could have went with DJ Altin if he wanted to be discreet about his name, though O-beks has a nice ring to it.

After two hours of dumb drinking games, Yuuri’s out cold. Victor has problems trying to keep him from stripping but the blush on his face says he’s enjoying it too much. Leo, Guanghong and Seunggil are traumatized after being assaulted with hugs and kisses from Yuuri while Phichit takes way too many commemorative photos. He seems to know about Yuuri’s drunk side as well so he must be another fallen soldier. Yuri is thankful to be sitting across from Yuuri so he’s not within reach of his attacks but this doesn’t stop him from lunging across the table to try anyways. Yuri almost falls out of his chair avoiding him but luckily Victor grabs onto Yuuri to stop this roaming beast.

Yuri’s attention is back to Otabek and they make eye-contact. Yuri gives him a thumbs-up and Otabek replies with a shy grin.

“Sorry Yurio, I should take Yuuri back before he decides to join the crowd,” Victor shouts across the table and Yuri nods, knowing how disastrous that would be.

“Alright, get home safe.”

“You’re not coming?” Victor questions and Yuri shakes his head.

“I don’t want to third-wheel you guys and see a disgusting make-out session in the taxi,” Yuri retorts with a cluck and Victor rolls his eyes. It’s going to happen and Yuri doesn’t want to exchange awkward glances with the driver again.

“I’m going to head out too,” Seunggil says, leaping at the chance to go. Leo and Guanghong follow suit because Guanghong is a delicate light-weight beautifully donning an Asian glow.

Yuri looks at Phichit, the last man standing and sees the exhaustion in his eyes. He’s been relatively quiet tonight so he’s tired and probably wants to go too but he’s staying for Yuri’s sake, which is sweet and very Phichit-like.

“You can go, Phichit.”

“No, I’m—” Phichit yawns and claps his hand over his mouth in embarrassment. Yuri raises his eyebrows to prove his point and Phichit sheepishly grins. “I don’t want to leave you by yourself.”

“I’ll be fine. I’d rather be here than at home with Victor and Yuuri anyways.” A shiver crawls down Yuri’s spine at the thought and he’s more adamant on staying. “Plus, Otabek’s shift ends soon so…”

There’s a suggestive grin on Phichit’s face and Yuri wonders if he said too much. “Oh then I guess I shouldn’t bother you,” he singsongs.

Yuri’s jaw drops and he’s stammering to clear the misunderstanding. “It’s nothing like that! Goddamit Phichit, just stay.”

“No, no it’s fine. I’ll go,” Phichit teases and Yuri hates the look on his face. He has the loosest lips and Yuri swears by tomorrow, everyone will think something’s up with him and Otabek. Phichit’s face softens upon seeing Yuri’s frown. “I’m joking. I had a test in the afternoon so I’m pretty out of it. Be safe, Yuri.”

Phichit ruffles Yuri’s hair before leaving and Yuri pouts, feeling like a kid but Phichit’s doing it out of kindness so Yuri can’t stay mad.

Yuri’s wondering if he should continue hogging a table after finishing the bowl of chips. He should move to one of the stools at the bar or the double table.

He doesn’t get far from the table when he knocks into someone and that someone might as well be a wall because that was a hard jab.

“Excuse me, watch where you’re going,” the person says and if Yuri can hear him then it means the guy’s yelling pretty loud which is incredibly rude because he walked into Yuri first.

“How about—” Yuri stops upon seeing Otabek with a goofy grin. “Very funny.”

Otabek gestures in another direction and starts walking with Yuri following close behind him. He opens a door and they’re outside. The night is cool and quiet with the echoes of chaos on the other side.

“So where’s the rest of them?” Otabek asks.

“The buckets of beer got them drinking way more than they should,” Yuri replies.

“Was Victor okay?”

“Yeah, this time it’s Yuuri.” Yuri chuckles. When the laugher in their eyes die, the atmosphere gets poignant. There’s some weird tension in the air and Yuri can’t pinpoint exactly what it is. It’s as if there’s still the adrenaline from the club pulsing inside Yuri, compelling him to do crazy things, stupid things that he normally wouldn’t entertain. The energy has to go somewhere but Yuri doesn’t know where to channel it.

“So where are you headed?” Otabek asks.

Yuri glances up, a bit bashful for some reason and looks away quickly when they make eye contact.

“Home. How about you?”

“Same.”

They start walking with their arms touching and hands stuffed in their pockets. The night isn’t too chilly but unfortunately, it’s too cloudy to see the stars. But it’s not too bad with Otabek’s chatter making up for the empty sky.

Tonight really was an eye-opener. Otabek was so charming in his booth with his headphones on while mixing music. Everyone was so enthralled and mesmerized, it was like Otabek showed them another world, the world he crafted with his sound. It’s a side of Otabek that’s different from the studious Otabek who has to snack every three hours, the Otabek who spontaneously decides to bake crap in the wee hours of the morning and has no shame in calling Yuri for ingredients. Yuri has a haunting suspicion that there’s still more to him that Yuri has yet to discover. Regardless of the different Otabeks he sees, Yuri’s pretty sure they’re all really cool.

The wait for the next subway train comes in five minutes so there’s time to kill.

“You’re a good DJ,” Yuri blurts out and he feels Otabek staring at him, a little surprise at the random praise. Yuri pretends not to notice and continues, “Even Seunggil complimented you.”

“Thanks for coming.” There’s sincerity in Otabek’s voice that sets fire to Yuri’s inside.

“So DJ O-beks,” Yuri mocks, swiftly changing the topic. He sees a faint hue of red dash across Otabek’s cheeks. He has no idea what him and Otabek are doing right now with this strange, flirty exchange but it’s probably the alcohol talking for both of them.

Otabek’s scratching the back of his neck, a sign of awkwardness. “It was the best name I could come up with it.”

“DJ Altin too boring for you?” Otabek makes a funny face and Yuri laughs. “But you were awesome tonight so the name doesn’t matter.”

There’s a minute left before the next train. And the ambiance between them gets heavier with every word. Yuri doesn’t know what it is or how to lighten the mood.

Yuri’s combing through his hair, a nervous habit of his, and stops when there’s a hand brushing the loose strands behind his ear. He looks up to see Otabek with a red face and redder ears. Yuri isn’t sure what’s happening but Otabek leans in and Yuri closes his eyes. His heart’s beating too fast and he stops breathing because what is happening.

He feels a warm breath on his lips and Otabek whispers, “I’ll stop if you don’t want this.”

Yuri opens his eyes and Otabek is so, so close. There’s an earnest look in his eyes, one that Yuri trusts. Otabek has never let him down before so Yuri closes his eyes again and leans in, closing the gap between their lips. Otabek’s catching Yuri off guard too many times and his soft lips is another one of those surprises. Embarrassingly enough, Yuri likes it. He feels Otabek grinning into the kiss and Yuri swears, his stomach does a flip and a flop.

Yuri finally realizes what the weird tension from before is. They’ve both been wanting to do this for a while. To kiss, touch and feel each other. Except Otabek knew what it was but was hesitant to initiate anything while Yuri didn’t know what this curiosity surrounding Otabek was. When did Otabek find out? Yuri doubts Otabek will tell him but he can’t help but wonder.

Yuri’s still plowing through his naivety and needs a guide, someone to help him go through it. Luckily he has Victor, Yuuri, his frat brothers, sorority sisters and now, he has Otabek.

The subway ride home is lulling and Yuri is trying hard to stay focus, to resist nodding off but Otabek catches this.

“You can nap for a while, I’ll tell you when your stop comes,” Otabek comments shyly and Yuri can’t meet his gaze because his face is on fire and he bets Otabek isn’t faring very well either.

Yuri timidly nods and closes his eyes.

“You can also rest your head on my shoulder if it’s awkward leaning forward.”

Yuri smiles softly and nestles into Otabek’s shoulder, a much more comfortable option than tucking his chin in. Otabek’s always been considerate despite looking so stoic. He’s still full of mysteries and surprises but nothing can stop Yuri from looking forward to them.

He’s deep in dreamland when he feels a fly on his face but he’s too snug right now to move and swat at it so he just lets it be.

He’ll let them be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had to make up otabek as i go bc honestly...who actually knows who otabek is. hence he is now _my_ otabek. i had lots of fun coming up with him though. baker otabek  <3 and if these events sound outrageous, do know that all the events were taken from what i went through/heard from my friends in first year so these things do happen LOL just make sure...you're safe and know what you're getting yourself in (especially at parties). 
> 
> i hope my secret valentine likes this <3 <3 im not sure when the second victuuri chapter comes out but hopefully by next week


	2. christmas rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im a bloody liar because at the end of ch 1, i said the next ch would be out next week but that obviously didn't happened. i forgot about the white day yoi fic so i had to complete that. then got sick in late march/early april (still sick) and started working full time in may so time is limited ;;;;
> 
> i love writing this victuuri because writing them is different than writing otayuri (ofc) so it was something new and ofc, something nice. i hope you all enjoy this victuuri piece <3

 

Yuuri hears the wedding processional song and he takes a deep, deep breath.

_It’s starting, it’s really happening._

_He’s really getting married to Victor Nikiforov right here, right now, in this moment._

“Are you ready?” Victor asks, giving Yuuri a playful nudge.

Yuuri nods, turning to face Victor. He’s so beautiful and Yuuri is so happy to be starting this new chapter of his life with him. He laces his fingers with Victor’s and eagerly smiles. “Yes.”

Every step down the aisle brings joy to Victor’s eyes. Yuuri’s hands are shaking but he knows this anxiety comes from excitement. Victor’s heart is shaking as well but he’s just better at hiding it. Victor smiles, knowing the biggest surprise has yet to come.

Yuuri’s hands are clammy and trembling when they reach the florally decorated altar. He’s trying to maintain his composure and keep his tears at bay until Victor does the unthinkable or rather, Victor says the unspeakable.

Yuuri freezes for a minute, wondering if he heard wrong. Victor just recited their marriage vow but in Japanese when they had agreed to do it in English. Victor simply smiles earnestly in response.

Before Yuuri could ask, could clarify the situation, his tears are falling and he’s quivering from the sobs that rack his body.

The words are so beautiful coming from Victor’s lips. They sound so gentle, so adoring and Yuuri knows Victor is promising forever with him. There’s so much love between them and Yuuri is happy, so happy. Yuuri’s tears of joy are here and they aren’t stopping any time soon.

“Yuuri, I just vowed to protect you, don’t make me go back on my words two seconds later,” Victor teases, wiping Yuuri’s tears away with a delicate finger. His eyes are watery too and they both stare at each other tenderly, loving the moment a little too much.

Victor loves him so much and Yuuri loves Victor just as much. Yuuri wants to spend the rest of his life loving Victor and forever starts now.

 

***

 

When it’s not the skating season, Victor still finds himself on a plane with a tired and jetlagged body. There’s no competitions to worry about but there’s still the training regime to keep in mind. On top of exercising, there are sponsors to meet and advertisements to film. Right now Victor’s on his way to a photoshoot and while it pains him to be away from Yuuri, he’s worked with the company for so many years so he has to honor their relationship.

There are flowers lining the street and Victor smiles, bending over to touch the petals. He usually buys gifts and souvenirs for Yuuri when he’s abroad but for some reason, Yuuri seems happiest with the flowers Victor brings home and the postcards waiting in the mailbox.

The first flower Victor gave Yuuri was a daffodil and it was because he was so focus on getting home that he forgot about the souvenir. He was persuaded by the florist to buy the bright yellow daffodils because they mean _‘the sun is always shining when I’m with you’_ and Victor found the message so sweet and fitting of Yuuri, Victor could not get it.

Victor doesn’t understand why flowers make Yuuri so happy but if it makes him happy then Victor will continue buying them every time.

 

***

 

There’s something on the dining table when Victor comes home and he has to do a double-take because he left the house in a hurry. He overslept this morning because Yuuri is away from home so Victor stayed up late talking to him. They live together but Victor has to do something about their constant traveling. His days start and end with Yuuri so when Yuuri’s not a part of it, it feels like his day hasn’t really started, like the sun hasn’t rise.

Victor doesn’t want to be dramatic and say his days are darker without Yuuri but like the daffodils says, the sun isn’t shining when Yuuri’s not with him.

So without the sun, Victor’s wondering where these big and bright sunflowers came from. They’re sitting on the dining table, casting a radiant glow to the room but what gets Victor springing to life is seeing Yuuri rush out of the kitchen afterwards, with an apron around him and a ladle in his hand.

“You’re home!” Yuuri exclaims, opening his arms and Victor’s face is brighter than the sunflowers themselves.

“I’m home!” Victor says before running into Yuuri’s arms. “When did you get back?”

“There was an earlier flight and I hopped on that,” Yuuri replies. “I hope you like the sunflowers.”

“I like you more,” Victor teases and sees Yuuri’s ears turning bright red. Of course he loves Yuuri more than the sunflowers but he does like them. Victor didn’t understand why Yuuri was so excited to receive flowers and postcards when he came back from the trip but now he sees why.

The flowers weren’t merely gifts but they’re extensions of Yuuri’s lingering thoughts, wishful reveries and heartfelt messages. They’re ‘I miss you,’ and ‘I’m thinking of you while I’m away’ but to Victor, the greatest gift is seeing Yuuri home.

“I thought that since daffodils represent _‘the sun is always shining when I’m with you,’_ I thought sunflowers would match you since…” Yuuri trails off nervously, breaking eye contact.

Victor smiles knowingly. _Sunflowers move to face the shining sun._

If the sun’s always shining when Yuuri’s with Victor then to Yuuri, Victor is the sun, his sun.

And Yuuri will do everything he can to continue facing this sun.

 

***

 

There’s a _ding_ and Victor knows it’s a message from Yuuri. They’re at practice and Victor’s taking a break while Yuuri is across the ice, his phone in hand and a sweet grin on his face. He looks up and catches Victor’s eyes and they smile bashfully.

What Yuuri wants to say but he’s too shy to say it, he expresses in flowers.

It’s become their thing to text in flowers because they’re now experts at it. The frequent traveling and the frequent flower-buying makes them experts. Victor used to buy whatever flower looks pretty but now, he considers the meaning behind every flower that he buys.

_Violets mean devotion but are they enough to show his devotion to Yuuri?_

_White jasmines mean sweet love but can Yuuri read the sweetness behind these flowers?_

Victor sees a shower of white bell flowers with the caption,  ‘lilies of the valley.’

_You’ve made my life complete._

He grins and replies with a soft, pink camellia.

_My destiny is in your hands._

There’s an immediate _ding_ and Victor smiles, seeing baby breaths.

_Everlasting and undying love._

Victor’s about to send stock flowers, _beauty that doesn’t fade with time or age,_ when their conversation is interrupted.

There’s a message from Yurio in the group chat. Surprisingly, it’s a picture of yellow hanging flowers but Victor doesn’t know what these flowers mean. He also sees a You two need to stop message from Yurio.

What flower is that? Yuuri asks.

Acacia. It means beauty in retirement.

Victor chuckles because Yuuri and him have somehow pulled Yurio into this bizarre flower talk of theirs. Now Yurio’s an expert on flowers as well.

Yurio, you are so cute.

There’s angry barking from Yurio across the rink because _Stupid Victor, he is not cute._ Then Yakov’s bellowing at them to knock it off and get back to practicing.

Victor stares at Yuuri with a smile, it’s another day in his life but it’s a beautiful day.

“Victor, hurry back on the ice!” Yuuri urges.

“Coming!”

 

***

 

“I’m home,” Yuuri says, his eyes scanning their flat for any signs of Victor. Yuri doesn’t know how a simple _‘I’m home’_ could make him so happy but it does. He’s walking on air with a smile on his face and a warm fluffy feeling fluttering inside of him.

Victor peeks out from their kitchen and smiles. “Welcome home, how was your jog?” Yuuri’s a bit late today but Victor shrugs it off.

“It was good,” Yuuri replies. “I ran into our neighbour on the way here and we chatted for a bit. He’s getting a new pet.”

Yuuri somehow has the knack for answering Victor’s doubt without Victor actually saying anything. It’s something that Victor really appreciates even though Yuuri does it unconsciously. Victor adds this point to the list of things he loves about Yuuri.

“The quiet one?” Victor questions and Yuuri nods. Victor didn’t think their neighbour would be the type to have pets because he’s so solemn and quiet.

“Yeah, he got a fish tank and all that,” Yuuri says and tiptoes to rest his chin on Victor’s shoulder. “What’s for dinner?”

There’s no answer from Victor and Yuri frowns. “Victor?”

Victor flinches and nods. “Yeah?”

“What are you thinking of?”

“Don’t you think our neighbour seems suspicious?” Victor cautions, narrowing his eyes. They just moved here and despite the warm welcomes from the other people in the complex, Victor hasn’t shared many words with their neighbour. Victor turns around and wraps Yuuri’s arms around his body.

Yuuri’s fingers nestle on Victor’s waist and he leans into him. Yuuri frowns, raising a brow in question. “Suspicious how?”

“Serial-killer suspicious.”

Yuuri pulls away to look for any signs of laughter on Victor’s face but unfortunately, his face is deadpan serious.

“Victor, why do you think our neighbour is a serial killer?” Yuri asks blithely, humoring Victor’s wild, wild imagination.

“Whenever I see him, he just greets me with a low ‘hello.’ No hi or hey, just a creepy ‘hello.’” Victor lowers his voice to imitate their neighbour. “And he always keeps the conversation short.”

“…Maybe he’s shy but polite,” Yuuri reasons, trying to find any scrap of logic in Victor’s accusation. Their neighbour is soft spoken but he doesn’t seem like a bad guy, at least that’s not the impression Yuuri gets.

“The man drives a fancy sports car but also owns an old minivan. One time when I came back from an early flight, he was coming out of the minivan, which is suspicious because where did he go at night?—” Yuuri rolls his eyes and Victor slaps him on the arm for his insensitivity—“I saw a shovel and ropes in the backseat of his car so _who_ was he burying?!” Victor exclaims, his voice getting progressively louder. He’s shaking Yuuri now, alarmed and scared.

Yuuri scowls, knowing he can’t argue that statement. He didn’t even know what car their neighbour drove so maybe it’s _Victor_ who’s getting a bit too obsessive with their neighbour. He has to stop Victor before things get out of hand and he ends up scaring their neighbour.

“He’s not a serial killer, Victor,” Yuuri repeats, comforting him. “Makkachin likes him so he must be a nice guy.”

Victor’s face morphs into one of utter horror. “Makkachin went near him too? That’s so dangerous!”

Yuuri feels a blood vessel pop and his patience waning. “Victor.”

The tone in Yuuri’s voice tells Victor the conversation is over because Makkachin is a reliable judge and if she likes him then their neighbour is a good guy, even if he drives a sketchy van.

 

***

 

Victor is an early-riser. He enjoys the choruses of dawn and the flicker of sunlight trickling in. It’s a beauty to behold and Victor can’t get enough of it. However, Yuuri finds sleep more beautiful and spoils himself with it.

Victor gazes at Yuuri who’s sound asleep. Usually, Victor would be out and about by now, either making breakfast or taking Makkachin out for a walk but he soon realize that Yuuri likes to wake up next to him—something Yuuri vehemently denies but Victor can tell from his sour mood in morning that Yuuri doesn’t like waking up alone.

He reaches to the bedside table and picks up a book—a habit Victor developed while waiting for Yuuri to wake up.

Yuuri blinks once then twice then thrice as his eyes adjust to the sunlight-lit room. It’s warm and Yuuri turns to see Victor reading, something he’s been doing every morning. It’s a sight to behold and Yuuri is so lucky to wake up to it every day.

Usually, he feigns sleep for a while longer so he can quietly watch Victor’s expression change as he reads. Based on it, Yuuri can tell what genre the book is and if Victor likes it. From the looks of it today, Victor’s solemn expression and knitted brows tell Yuuri that it’s a mystery novel and he’s trying to figure out who the culprit is.

Suddenly Victor’s hand moves to stroke Yuuri’s head and he knows he’s caught red-handed.

“So Yuuri, do you like what you see?” Victor teases and winks at Yuuri.

Yuuri pouts and turns away to stuff his face into the pillow because _yes, yes he does like what he sees._

 

***

 

There’s a tap on Yuuri’s shoulder but he dismisses it because Victor could have accidently nudged him while rolling over. There’s another tap and then another one and Yuuri knows it’s not an accident.

“Victor, what is it?” Yuuri asks groggily, turning over to Victor.

“Yuuri, do you hear that?” Victor whispers, gripping Yuuri’s arm because he swears, there’s something coming from their closet.

“Did you watch a horror movie in secret again?” Yuuri questions, already willing himself back to sleep because it’s nothing serious.

“No I didn’t,” Victor lies.

Yuuri hears through the lie and smirks. “You watch too many horror movies for someone who gets scared all the time.”

“What can I say? I’m a bit of a masochist.” Victor chuckles but his expression changes, hearing the noise again. “There are strange noises coming from the closet.”

“You go check if you’re so scared,” Yuuri grumbles, turning away from Victor. They have early morning practice tomorrow and he doesn’t want to get yelled at by Yakov for being late again.

“But you should go since you’re not scared.”

_Yuuri rolls his eyes because what logic is that?_

There’s more shaking from Victor and Yuuri is forced to sit up, glaring at his fool of a husband.

“Alright, we decide using our old way,” Yuuri says. He calls this method _‘the golden method’_ because it solves any problems they have in a fair manner with no bias. It’s never failed them before and Yuuri will keep employing it so long as Victor keeps up this act.

After a round of rock-paper-scissor, Yuri is leading the way with a flashlight in his hand, grumbling while Victor clings onto him.

“Victor, why did you make me come if you’re going to follow me?” Yuuri whines, feeling Victor’s arms tighten around him as they approach the closet.

“I can’t let my husband go alone,” Victor replies, resting his chin on Yuuri’s shoulder.

Yuuri gives Victor a peck on the cheek albeit the ridiculous situation they’re in. It’s love and love makes Yuuri do the craziest things—like playing ghost-hunter in the middle of the night.

 

***

 

Today is a special day and even though Victor mused that it’s not, Yuuri has many things planned under his sleeve because it _is_ special. He’s checking his watch too often and Victor wonders what it is but he knows better than to pry the secret out of him so Victor waits. He waits when they arrive at the supermarket, he waits when they’re lining up to pay for their food and waits when they’re unloading everything from the car. He’s _still_ waiting when they go up the elevator and Yuuri makes him wait when he’s digging through his pocket for the keys to their apartment.

Victor is a patient man but curiosity is hard to handle.

Finally, Victor finds out what the big secret is when their apartment door springs open. He’s greeted with an explosion of color to his face, thanks to the party poppers. There’s a banner across the living room that says _'Happy Birthday'_ in big, bright and bold letters. The Russian figure skating team is smiling from ear to ear with party hats on and Victor turns to Yuuri, gawking.

“Happy Birthday,” Yuuri says, smiling brightly.

There are echoes of “Happy Birthday!” from the team and Victor smiles, almost moved to the point of tears. He wasn’t expecting this surprise from Yuuri and he’s so grateful he waited for it.

They’re sitting at the table with cake and so much food. He eyes the delicate white flowers in the center and nudges Yuuri.

“What flower is this?” Victor asks and he sees the faint blush on Yuuri’s face.

Yuuri scratches his face and replies, “It’s a Christmas rose.”

“What does it mean?” Victor leans forward to stroke the big, white petals.

“It means _‘relieve my anxiety,’_ ” Yuuri holds Victor’s hands, hoping Victor understands what he means. There’s a squeeze and Victor is smiling at him because _he understands._ “The petals start off white then changes to pink as it matures. It’ll be nice to see it bloom.”

“I can’t wait to see the pink.” Victor stares at the flower, wondering how it can go from a pure white to a pretty pink but considering his _own_ change, it’s not impossible—Victor never thought he could be this happy and content with life but he is—he’s the happiest person in the world right now. If he can go through such a big change then it’s nothing for a flower to simply change color.

“I wish I chose something more romantic but it’s named after Christmas which is also your birthday so…I thought it would suit you.” Yuuri smiles, watching Victor stare at the flower in fascination.

Wordlessly, Victor turns to hug Yuuri tight because this is enough. Yuuri in his arms and him just brightening up Victor’s life is enough. This flower is the sweetest gift Victor has ever received and it’s tied for second with the wedding rings; the best gift is Yuuri himself, the greatest gift that Victor could ever ask for. To Victor, his birthday is like any other. Somewhere along the way, he got tired of throwing parties, of celebrating it. His family and friends got more excited for this day than he did. If he wants to be fancy then he’ll go out to dinner with some friends but that’s it. A birthday is nothing special but Yuuri begs to differ. Looking at how much effort Yuuri put into planning it and researching flowers to convey his feelings means so much to Victor. Because to Yuuri, Victor’s birthday is a special day that needs to be celebrated. Though Victor disagrees but he lets Yuuri do this.

Victor also knows that Yuuri’s not the best at comforting people and half the time, Yuuri’s worried that he’s doing more harm than good so hearing Yuuri say this about Victor being a Christmas rose, ironically, relieves his anxiety too. This birthday is going to be a memorable one for him and he can’t wait for the many birthdays to come, for the many birthdays that they’ll celebrate together.

“You know the Christmas rose is used in Russia for weight loss medicine,” Yuri interrupts Victor’s thoughts with a snarky remark.

“You’re not saying Victor needs to lose weight, are you Yuuri?” Mila teases, leaning her arm on Yuri’s shoulder which he slaps away.

Yuuri’s mind goes blank because he did not know that and most definitely didn’t mean that. How could he miss out on such a crucial detail, especially a Russian fact at that. “I didn’t—”

“So what if I gained weight, I’m fat with bliss,” Victor rejoices happily.

They all stare at Victor in either disgust or ridicule or confusion because he clearly missed the point of Yuri’s insult but he’s happy so no one wants to burst his bubble, especially on his birthday.

 

***

 

Whenever Yuuri’s abroad, his goal is to get home as soon as possible. Sometimes he manages to get on an earlier flight but this time, his flight got delayed. So he’s running home to see Victor because he’s home much later than anticipated.

Yuuri almost trips while rushing through the door but stops short when he sees Victor sleeping on the couch. He’s clutching onto the pillow and Yuuri smiles fondly at the sight. Victor stayed up, waiting for Yuuri to get home but he passed out waiting.

Sighing, Yuuri drops his baggage and walks over to pick Victor up and make his way to their bed. He’s disappointed because he had wanted to catch Victor before he fell asleep but he was too late.

After setting him down and tucking Victor in, Yuuri chuckles.

“You’ve gotten heavier,” Yuuri remarks, brushing the hair off Victor’s face, “Or I need to tone up.”

Yuuri leans over to kiss his forehead. He hears a small snicker and peers down to see a wide smile sprawl on Victor’s face.

Yuuri rolls his eyes. _Was Victor awake this whole time?_

Victor stretches his arms out to pulls Yuuri into a warm hug and Yuuri closes his eyes, leaning into his chest. This moment of peace is short-lived because Victor’s fingers are under Yuuri’s shirt and he’s relentlessly tickling Yuuri.

Yuuri bursts out in a fit of giggles and tries to pull away but Victor’s iron grip doesn’t budge. The sound of happiness fills their bedroom as Victor’s laughing heartily and Yuuri is begging Victor to have mercy and stop.

There are tears in Yuuri’s eyes from laughing when Victor stops. He pulls Yuuri close and says, “For your information, I did _not_ gain weight but you don’t need to tone up. I would know.”

There’s a kiss to Yuuri’s head and he snuggles into Victor’s chest.

“Welcome home.” _I love you._

“I’m home.” _I love you too._

 

***

 

The sand sinks under their feet and the sunset can’t get any more exceptionally beautiful than this. The air is heavy with salt and the wind is graceful with its touches.

The walk is calm and peaceful and Yuuri feels relaxed.

_Heaven is a place on earth and it’s wherever Victor is._

“Listen to the seashell,” Victor suggests, placing a seashell in his palm. “Apparently you can hear the ocean.”

“Actually,” Yuuri corrects, “What you hear is the echoing of the noise around us.”

“So it’s the sound of the waves? That’s still the ocean,” Victor reasons,

Yuuri smiles, giving into Victor and presses the seashell against his ear.

What Yuuri hears isn’t the sound of the waves crashing along the shore but it’s the sound of his heartbeat. It’s louder than the ocean, louder than the seagulls above them and louder than the crushing of the sand. Yuuri looks at Victor and he’s so beautiful, even more breathtaking than the sunset itself. With every beat of Yuuri’s heart comes the ringing of ‘I love you’ coursing throughout his body; the ‘I love yours’ are louder than the ocean itself and it’s all Yuri can hear. Loving Victor comes naturally to Yuuri as breathing does.

“Look Yuuri,” Victor exclaims happily, grabbing Yuuri’s arm to run with him. They enter a shelter and there’s a flower on the bench. “Someone left a flower here.” He picks the flower up by the stem and smells it.

“Gee, I wonder who that someone is,” Yuuri replies with sarcasm but can’t stop the smile on his lips. Victor is so corny sometimes but Yuuri loves this side so much, these actions of love and affection mean the world to him. Victor knows this so he vows to keep surprising Yuuri with these loving gestures with every opportunity he gets because Yuuri deserves every bit of it.

“It’s a viscaria,” Victor remarks, giving Yuuri the flower to hold. Yuuri takes it and admires the soft blue petals. “They’re also called rose angels or rose of heavens. So this one is a blue angel—” Victor leans in to tap Yuuri’s nose playfully—“Just like you.”

Yuuri opens his mouth to protest but he’s speechless. He can’t hide the blush anymore and blushes even more when he locks eyes with Victor. How can Victor _still_ be so smooth? The most important question is: how is Yuuri still a blushing mess every time?

“So where’s my pink angel?” Yuuri questions in a lame attempt to reply to Victor’s flirting.

Victor chuckles. “The rose angels means _‘Will you dance with me?—’_ ” Victor stretches his hand out with a dashing smile—“And what a better partner for the blue angel than me, the pink angel.”

Yuuri doesn’t hold back his tears because the emotions are too much, they’re overwhelming and he lets them wash over him. Victor really planned this out thoroughly, anticipating Yuuri’s responses so he can come back with an even better, cheesier response. Victor wipes Yuuri’s tears with his thumb and kisses Yuuri’s forehead. All the sand at the beach, all the stars in the sky can’t account for Yuuri’s love for Victor and how lucky he is to have Victor reciprocate this love.

“Of course. I could search the world and nobody would be better than you.” Yuuri smiles, accepting his hand so they can dance on the beach. It’s cold, they’re clumsy and in the end, their noses are red but they don’t care because all they feel is the love and it’s warming them up. Love is spilling and it’s the warmth from Victor’s breath ghosting over Yuuri’s lips, the earnest glaze in their eyes and the kisses as they fumble on the sand.

Holding onto Victor’s hands, Yuuri vows to continue this dance forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and viola!!! we're done this short but amazing vday yoi project :) i had lots of fun writing this and trying to convey what i think victuuri and otayuri would act like when they're in a relationship. ~~c'mon, that neighbour is so suspicious !!!~~
> 
> also can we talk about how _perfect_ the christmas rose is? its like a victor flower! a victor rose!!! i got way too excited researching flowers but im glad i did because i found out about the victor rose and how suiting it is for victor :D thanks for sticking with me on this journey!!! it was definitely a worthwhile one  <3


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